A bit of a ramble... I struggle sometimes with ‘journaling for self’ during troubled times finding I slip into the life writing I do for articles. I am conscious of a reader’s gaze - and yet the reader would only be me. Although in reality I tend to destroy these therapeutic meanderings. I know I am a contradiction in that I can share deeply personal experiences and yet I am ferociously private about aspects of my inner self. Because of this I do not work hard to imbue my personal journaling with any semblance of craft - it is a utility - so I am left with life writing that I know lacks something. How to get past that... do I need to? These days I am writing more fiction - to escape, explore or not? I don’t know - but I am envious of those who are able to show an innocent honesty in their writing about self.
This-- "constellation of intangibles"-- Absolutely beautiful. Every post I read of yours, I am struck by your profound, clear insights married to masterful prose. If my printer hadn't died, I would print this one out as it hummed in the very marrow of my bones.
I write letters to a friend very regularly. Unheard of in this day and age, to someone in the same country who would bother to write back, stick on a stamp and post a letter back to me. This back and forth motion of putting my thoughts in writing, on pen and paper, sending it off, waiting for a response, has been a cathartic experience for me.
I enjoyed this ... not least because it’s fascinating to me that people can pursue the same action (in this case writing) yet infuse it with such different meaning.
Writing for meaning
A bit of a ramble... I struggle sometimes with ‘journaling for self’ during troubled times finding I slip into the life writing I do for articles. I am conscious of a reader’s gaze - and yet the reader would only be me. Although in reality I tend to destroy these therapeutic meanderings. I know I am a contradiction in that I can share deeply personal experiences and yet I am ferociously private about aspects of my inner self. Because of this I do not work hard to imbue my personal journaling with any semblance of craft - it is a utility - so I am left with life writing that I know lacks something. How to get past that... do I need to? These days I am writing more fiction - to escape, explore or not? I don’t know - but I am envious of those who are able to show an innocent honesty in their writing about self.
This-- "constellation of intangibles"-- Absolutely beautiful. Every post I read of yours, I am struck by your profound, clear insights married to masterful prose. If my printer hadn't died, I would print this one out as it hummed in the very marrow of my bones.
I write letters to a friend very regularly. Unheard of in this day and age, to someone in the same country who would bother to write back, stick on a stamp and post a letter back to me. This back and forth motion of putting my thoughts in writing, on pen and paper, sending it off, waiting for a response, has been a cathartic experience for me.
Once again, your writing resonates with me.
I enjoyed this ... not least because it’s fascinating to me that people can pursue the same action (in this case writing) yet infuse it with such different meaning.
I love this. Thank you.
This very much resonates! Thank you for expressing what makes writing such a pull/need/joy.